Novletis a tool that allows people all over the world to write, read, and share short stories in multiple languages. Stories are begun and continued by multiple people, creating a large compilation of ideas, characters, and events. Benefits: The international collaboration is an extremely useful tool. Students can learn about different cultures, customs, etc. The stories on the Site are arranged by genre, which also can teach or reinforce the different literary genres. There are 19 different languages available, so students whose first language is not English, or who are simply multi-lingual, can contribute in the language with which they seem the most comfortable. Drawbacks: There are very limited texts available in each language. The Site is all in print, and the excessive text can be overwhelming and difficult to read. Because of the collaborative nature of the Site, the stories contain such varying information that it can be frustrating for a student to follow and understand. The Site is not censored, so vulgar or inappropriate words are easily visible. This also means that users can use the tool for advertising and other uses besides stories, once again cluttering the Site. Accessibility issues: Once again, the Web site is completely text based. There are no options for audio, video, or other alternate methods of absorbing information. Overall Rating: 2
Funny Timesis a cartoon strip creator. Users can insert images and text into individual frames to create their own cartoon/comic strip. Benefits: Funnytimes provides an alternative method for composing ideas compared to conventional story writing. It also allows students to create comic strips even if they are not confident in their drawing abilities or are incapable. Drawbacks: There are no images in color. The user is restricted to the images available, unable to upload their own. The characters can not be edited, which can pose a problem when their emotions are supposed to change. Like Novlet, it is not censored. It may require an additional download to display the application. Accessibility Issues: It could be difficult to drag pictures to the desired location and manipulate the size. The frames are very small, which can lead to frustration when trying to fit many things into each frame. Overall Rating: 3
By Katie Murphy, Alison Inwood, Amy Wilson, Amanda Severence and Jackey Vielot
The two tools our group selected are Novlet and Funnytimes.
Novletis a tool that allows people all over the world to write, read, and share short stories in multiple languages. Stories are begun and continued by multiple people, creating a large compilation of ideas, characters, and events.
Benefits: The international collaboration is an extremely useful tool. Students can learn about different cultures, customs, etc. The stories on the Site are arranged by genre, which also can teach or reinforce the different literary genres. There are 19 different languages available, so students whose first language is not English, or who are simply multi-lingual, can contribute in the language with which they seem the most comfortable.
Drawbacks: There are very limited texts available in each language. The Site is all in print, and the excessive text can be overwhelming and difficult to read. Because of the collaborative nature of the Site, the stories contain such varying information that it can be frustrating for a student to follow and understand. The Site is not censored, so vulgar or inappropriate words are easily visible. This also means that users can use the tool for advertising and other uses besides stories, once again cluttering the Site.
Accessibility issues: Once again, the Web site is completely text based. There are no options for audio, video, or other alternate methods of absorbing information.
Overall Rating: 2
Benefits: Funnytimes provides an alternative method for composing ideas compared to conventional story writing. It also allows students to create comic strips even if they are not confident in their drawing abilities or are incapable.
Drawbacks: There are no images in color. The user is restricted to the images available, unable to upload their own. The characters can not be edited, which can pose a problem when their emotions are supposed to change. Like Novlet, it is not censored. It may require an additional download to display the application.
Accessibility Issues: It could be difficult to drag pictures to the desired location and manipulate the size. The frames are very small, which can lead to frustration when trying to fit many things into each frame.
Overall Rating: 3